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University of Colombo walks away with top honours at 99x’s Hacktitude 2022

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Hacktitude’s top 12 teams together with 99x’s organizing committee

99x’s innovative use of technology saw over 600 undergraduates from across the island virtually participate in the inter-university hackathon Hacktitude last week. After nine hours of non-stop coding, Dalana Dharmathilake, Ashan Rathnaweera and Visal Jayathilaka of University of Colombo’s School of Computing (UCSC) walked away with top honours.

Just 12 teams from the 230 registered were able to score the full points and it was these outstanding 12 teams that were recognised at the awards ceremony hosted at Kingsbury, Colombo earlier this week. The winning team from UCSC received developer-grade, high-end Apple MacBooks for the entire team. The first and second runners-up were from the University of Moratuwa’s Computer Science and Engineering Faculty (UOM-CSE), and this faculty was also awarded the Hackitude Championship Trophy as the highest scoring university.

“Most undergraduates possess knowledge but lack the skills and capabilities required when entering the job market,” observed 99x Chief People Officer Damitha Jayasinghe. “However, by participating in Hacktitude, these 600+ students challenged themselves and improved their technical skills. The tests were created to give participants exposure to problems faced in real client projects, allowing them to develop their industry readiness before entering the job market.”

He added that it was an inspiring and exciting time for the 99x team as well, especially with the numerous positive comments received by the participants, who shared that they had learned a lot from the event.

Commenting on their Hacktitude experience, Dalana Dharmathilake of the winning team ‘NamakNa’, stated: “The format of the hackathon was a new experience for us all. It was challenging but very enjoyable. I think Hacktitude is a great competition for undergraduates to test and improve their skills in developing production-grade code. We are looking forward to participating in the next year as well. Thank you 99x for organizing such an amazing hackathon.”

Hacktitude saw undergraduates from 18 state and private universities participate and a noteworthy contribution from a group of enterprising boys from Ananda College. UCSC and UOM-CSE dominated the top 10 with their technical prowess, with the 11th and 12th teams hailing from the National School of Business Management (NSBM) and University of Moratuwa’s Information Technology faculty respectively.

A compulsory requirement of each participating team was the inclusion of an academic coach, a member of the university faculty who will mentor the teams throughout the competition. Pasindu Marasinghe, as academic coach of the winning UCSC team, also walked away with a MacBook and many prizes as he coached three other teams in the top 10.

The entire event was made possible by DevGrade, a first-of-its-kind platform developed by 99x to train product engineers, which too was put to the test in supporting the work of over 600 young developers over a period of nine hours. Given this success, 99x plans to continue Hacktitude as an annual event and is now exploring the possibility of extending it to schoolchildren, to educate them about ICT from a young age.

99x is a technology company co-creating well-engineered, innovative digital products for the Scandinavian market. Its expertise has been proven through a portfolio of over 150 impactful global digital products, developed together with leading Independent Software Vendors (ISVs). 99x employs over 350 technology and product specialists, who are high achievers, creative thinkers and team players. The company is one of Asia’s Best Workplaces for 2021 and has been named a Best Workplace in Sri Lanka for nine consecutive years.



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Stealer malware leaked over 2 million bank cards

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The number of infections with data-stealing malware, 2020-2024 (Source: Kaspersky Digital Footprint Intelligence)

Kaspersky Digital Footprint Intelligence estimates that 2.3 million bank cards were leaked on the dark web, based on an analysis of data-stealing malware log files from 2023-2024. On average, every 14th infostealer infection results in stolen credit card information, with nearly 26 million devices compromised by infostealers, including more than 9 million in 2024 alone. Kaspersky released its report on the infostealer threat landscape while the technology world gathers at MWC 2025 in Barcelona.

Kaspersky experts estimate that approximately 2,300,000 bank cards have been leaked on the dark web. This conclusion is based on an analysis of the log files from data-stealing malware, dated 2023-2024, that were leaked on the dark web market. While globally the share of leaked cards is well below one percent, 95% of the observed numbers appear technically valid.

Infostealer malware is not only designed to extract financial information, but also credentials, cookies and other valuable user data, which is compiled into log files and then distributed within the dark web underground community. An infostealer can infect a device if a victim unknowingly downloads and runs a malicious file, for example one disguised as legitimate software, such as a game cheat. It can be spread through phishing links, compromised websites, malicious attachments in emails or messengers and various other methods. It targets both personal and corporate devices.

On average, every 14th infostealer infection results in stolen credit card information. Kaspersky Digital Footprint Intelligence experts found that nearly 26 million devices running Windows were infected with various types of infostealers in the past two years.

“The actual number of infected devices is even higher. Cybercriminals often leak stolen data in the form of log files months or even years after the initial infection, and compromised credentials and other information continue to surface on the dark web over time. Therefore, the more time passes, the more infections from previous years we observe. We forecast the total number of devices infected with infostealer malware in 2024 to be between 20 million and 25 million, while for 2023, the estimate ranges between 18 million and 22 million,” says Sergey Shcherbel, expert at Kaspersky Digital Footprint Intelligence.

In 2024, Redline remained the most widespread infostealer, accounting for 34% of the total number of infections.

The most significant surge in 2024 was in infections caused by Risepro, whose share of total infections increased from 1.4% in 2023 to almost 23% in 2024. “RisePro is a growing threat. It was first discovered two years ago but seems to be gaining momentum. The stealer primarily targets banking card details, passwords and cryptocurrency wallet data, and may be spreading under the guise of key generators, cracks for various software and game mods,” explains Sergey Shcherbel. Another rapidly growing stealer is Stealc, which first appeared in 2023 and increased its share from nearly 3% to 13%.

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ComBank’s 2023 Annual Report tops Banking sector at ACCA Sustainability Reporting Awards

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Commercial Bank Chief Operating Officer S. Prabagar and members of the senior management accepting one of the ACCA awards.

The Commercial Bank of Ceylon’s prowess in comprehensive disclosure of sustainability-related information to stakeholders has won its 2023 Annual Report two top awards at the 2025 Sustainability Reporting Awards presented by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA).

The Bank was adjudged the overall runner-up and the winner in the Banking category at these awards, repeating the achievement of its 2022 Annual Report which was similarly honoured by the ACCA last year.

The ACCA Sustainability Reporting Awards recognise Annual Reports that clearly acknowledge and explain the economic, environmental and social impacts of the business to internal and external stakeholders, demonstrating the organisation’s policies, targets and long-term objectives towards the goal of sustainable development.

Commercial Bank’s 2023 Annual Report also won two Golds, a Silver and a Bronze at CA Sri Lanka’s ‘TAGS’ Awards 2024, excelling in the key aspects recognised by the awards programme which is dedicated to Transparency, Accountability, Governance, and Sustainability – TAGS.

The Bank won the Gold for ‘Corporate Governance Disclosure’ in the Financial Services sector, the Gold for the Best Annual Report among the private sector banks, the Silver for ‘Digitally Transformative Reporting’ across all sectors, and the overall Bronze award for Excellence in Corporate Reporting.

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UTE Delivers Sri Lanka’s Largest Cat D8 Tractor to NEM Construction

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(From left to right) Deepthi Hewageegana (CEO - UTE), Mani Rajan (Director Distribution - India), Joe Moscato (Vice President - Distribution - Japan & Asia South (India & SE Asia) Caterpillar Inc), Raja Nanayakkara (Chairman / MD - NEM Construction), Prasan Fernando (Chairman - UTE), Priath Fernando - (Director - UTE), Duminda Perera (Senior General Manager - Operations)

Caterpillar equipment dealer UTE has delivered the country’s largest Cat D8 Track-Type Tractor to NEM Construction Pvt. Ltd., marking a significant milestone in heavy machinery. This delivery strengthens the long-standing partnership between UTE and NEM Construction, which spans over 45 years. The Cat D8 is expected to boost operational efficiency in large-scale projects. As the sole authorized dealer for Caterpillar in Sri Lanka, UTE continues to provide top-tier machinery and after-sales support. The handover is particularly notable as Caterpillar celebrates its 100th anniversary. NEM Construction’s Chairman, Raja Nanayakkara, praised the Cat D8’s superior performance and UTE’s unmatched service and parts support, which have been key to the company’s long-term collaboration. This purchase highlights the continued trust in both Caterpillar and UTE’s expertise in supporting Sri Lanka’s construction industry.

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